Monks and Acharyas
Shramanbhadra Muni and the Mosquitoes
श्रमणभद्र मुनि और मच्छर · શ્રમણભદ્ર મુનિ અને મચ્છર
A prince turned monk, a night of a thousand stings, and not one creature harmed
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
Prince Shramanbhadra of Champa becomes a monk and one autumn night stands in meditation in a marshy wilderness. Then the mosquitoes come.
What it teaches Ahimsa Endurance Detachment
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in the city of Champa, there lived a gentle prince named Shramanbhadra. He was calm and kind, and everyone loved him. He lived in a big palace with his father, the king.
One day he heard a wise monk speak about the soul and about being kind to every living being. The prince said, "I want to live like that." So he became a monk too. He gave away his fine clothes and his palace, and he walked from village to village with a peaceful heart.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Ahimsa reaches even to the smallest creature, even the one that is bothering us.
To talk about together
What is one gentle way to deal with an insect that comes into your room?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.